Augmedics, a pioneer in augmented reality (AR) surgical navigation, today announced it has treated 10,000 patients with the xvision Spine System®. The landmark achievement marks a new record for the use of augmented reality navigation for spine surgery.

“Since inception, Augmedics has been a company of firsts – the first FDA-approved AR navigation system for surgery, the first augmented reality spine surgeries in US, the first clinical accuracy studies,” said Augmedics President & CEO Paul Ziegler. “With that, there has always been a high degree of interest in AR and its potential to improve the safety and efficacy of spine surgery. The milestone of 10,000 surgeries is not only a celebration of 10,000 patient lives impacted, but definitive proof that we are fundamentally changing the surgical status quo. AR is here to stay.”

The 10,000 patient milestone comes as Augmedics’ initiates US commercial launch of its CT-Fluoro registration method, a move that greatly expands navigation access for spine surgeons and further builds on the flexibility of xvision’s open platform system.

“Our mission to break down barriers to adoption and bring the benefits of navigation to surgeons and their patients remains steadfast,” said Ziegler. “The milestone of 10,000 patients and all it represents – the lessons learned, our growing body of clinical evidence, our surgeon advisors – is significant. Add to that the launch of CT-Fluoro, which significantly impacts the ease and access of surgical navigation, and it feels like we’re on the cusp of something really special.”

X-ray vision beyond the “cool factor”

The record-setting 10,000th case was performed by Dr. Isaac L. Moss, Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at UConn Health in Farmington, Connecticut. The orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery teams began using Augmedics in May 2022, becoming the first in central Connecticut to offer AR navigated spine surgery. Today, with six spine surgeons across the orthopedic and neurosurgery departments regularly utilizing xvision, it’s one of the largest AR programs in the country.  In addition, Dr. Hilary Onyiuke has performed the most cases in the country and was recently selected to the National Technical Board, which includes only eight of the top surgeons from across the country.

A childhood fan of Superman, Moss was originally drawn to the cool factor of a technology that gave him “x-ray vision.” Three years on, he views the clinical value through a different lens.

“Augmented reality navigation makes instrumentation of the spine, even complex revision or deformity, a low cognitive load task,” explained Moss. “Meaning, you can achieve high levels of accuracy in complex situations with very little mental fatigue. This in turn allows surgeons to have greater focus during the potentially more complex parts of the procedure. While this can be achieved with traditional navigation, the ease of use and the intuitive nature of the augmented reality system gives it a significant advantage over other platforms. As a result, we can do more complex cases with less invasive techniques on a regular basis and achieve optimal results for patients with likely less surgeon fatigue and burnout in the short and long run.”

Moss noted the UConn spine faculty has also demonstrated significant operative efficiency and reduction in radiation exposure using xvision. The team has also seen the positive impact of their AR program beyond clinical value.

“This has been great for us, the growth of our reputation and program,” said Chris Hyers, UConn Health Vice President of Marketing and Clinical Strategy Advancement. “In a crowded and very competitive landscape, it’s hard to differentiate. By being an early adopter of AR, we could pair the tremendous talents and reputations of our faculty with something easy for the consumer to understand – an innovative leadership position consistent with an academic medical center and consistent with our brand.”